Resolution 58/96
(December 17, 2003)
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles
of the Charter of the United Nations,
Guided
also by international humanitarian
law, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection
of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, 1 as well as international
standards of human rights, in particular the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights 2 and the International Covenants on Human Rights, 3
Recalling its relevant resolutions, including
resolutions 2443 (XXIII) of 19 December 1968 and 57/124 of 11 December
2002, and the relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights,
Recalling also relevant resolutions of the Security Council,
Convinced that occupation itself represents
a gross and grave violation of human rights,
Gravely
concerned about the continuation
of the tragic events that have taken place since 28 September 2000,
including the excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying forces
against Palestinian civilians, resulting in thousands of deaths and
injuries,
Having considered the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli
Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other
Arabs of the Occupied Territories 4 and the relevant reports
of the Secretary-General, 5
Recalling the Declaration of Principles
on Interim Self-Government Arrangements of 13 September 1993 6 and the subsequent
implementation agreements between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,
Expressing the hope that the Israeli occupation will be brought to an early
end and that therefore the violation of the human rights of the Palestinian
people will cease,
1. Commends the Special
Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights
of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories
for its efforts in performing the tasks assigned to it by the General
Assembly and for its impartiality;
2. Reiterates its demand that Israel, the occupying Power, cooperate with the Special
Committee in implementing its mandate;
3. Deplores those
policies and practices of Israel that violate the human rights of the
Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, as reflected
in the report of the Special Committee covering the reporting period;
4. Expresses grave concern about
the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem, since 28 September 2000, as a result of Israeli practices
and measures, and especially condemns the excessive and indiscriminate
use of force against the civilian population, including extrajudicial
executions, which has resulted in more than 2,600 Palestinian deaths
and tens of thousands of injuries;
5. Requests the Special Committee,
pending complete termination of the Israeli occupation, to continue
to investigate Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied
by Israel since 1967, especially Israeli violations of the Geneva Convention
relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12
August 1949, 1 and to consult, as
appropriate, with the International Committee of the Red Cross according
to its regulations in order to ensure that the welfare and human rights
of the peoples of the occupied territories are safeguarded and to report
to the Secretary-General as soon as possible and whenever the need arises
thereafter;
6. Also
requests the Special Committee
to submit regularly to the Secretary-General periodic reports on the
current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem;
7. Further requests the Special Committee to continue to investigate the treatment
of prisoners and detainees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since
1967;
8. Requests the Secretary-General:
(a) To provide the
Special Committee with all necessary facilities, including those required
for its visits to the occupied territories, so that it may investigate
Israeli policies and practices referred to in the present resolution;
(b) To continue
to make available such additional staff as may be necessary to assist
the Special Committee in the performance of its tasks;
(c) To circulate
regularly to Member States the periodic reports mentioned in paragraph
6 above;
(d ) To ensure the widest circulation
of the reports of the Special Committee and of information regarding
its activities and findings, by all means available, through the Department
of Public Information of the Secretariat and, where necessary, to reprint
those reports of the Special Committee that are no longer available;
(e) To report to
the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session on the tasks entrusted
to him in the present resolution;
9. Decides to include
in the provisional agenda of its fifty-ninth session the item entitled
"Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting
the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied
Territories".
72nd plenary meeting
9
December 2003
Notes
1United Nations, Treaty
Series, vol. 75, No. 973.
2Resolution 217 A (III).
3Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
4A/58/311.
5A/58/155, A/58/156, A/58/263, A/58/264 and
A/58/310.
6A/48/486-S/26560, annex
Sources: The United Nations |